INTRODUCTION: Successful transplant production begins with selecting good growing media. Healthy vigorous transplants will be less susceptible to insects, diseases and transplant shock, leading to improved overall crop performance. Formulating organic potting mixes is especially challenging. Organic sources of nitrogen, such as compost, can be inconsistent. Compost chemical, biological and physical characteristics can change over time with storage; as a result, nitrogen (N) mineralization and availability to plants can be unpredictable. An alternative to traditional thermophilic compost is vermicompost. Vermicompost has more soluble nitrogen than thermophilic compost. Past research in the Rangarajan lab has shown improved transplant growth and crop yields with vermicompost compared to thermophilic compost.